Catholic men who are active in their parish and bring a certain experience of the spiritual life including apostolic zeal and a desire to increase their faith through obedience and fraternal communion, and who are at least 33 years old, married or unmarried, can inquire into becoming a permanent deacon in the diocese.
Preparation for the permanent diaconate takes several years to complete, and includes completion of the two-year Lay Ministry program.
To learn more, go online to www.charlottediocese.org/vocations.
CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte is blessed to have many priests celebrating special jubilee anniversaries this year. Father Larry LoMonaco, pastor of St. Aloysius Church in Hickory, is celebrating 15 years of priestly ministry.
He shares this reflection with the Catholic News Herald on the occasion of his anniversary:
As I reflect on my 15 years of ordained ministry serving our Lord, Jesus Christ, through a vocation to the priesthood, I can’t believe it has gone by so quickly. I have been told that when you love your job, you never work a day in your life. I now know that to be true. I also know that time flies when you are having fun.
I love serving our Lord and His people because it is exceptionally fulfilling and never boring. Each new day is a wonderful new gift that I get to open one day at a time. My vocation has challenged me more than I ever thought possible. I am comforted by the fact that every time I have prayed for wisdom and courage to do God’s will, I have received the divine guidance I need to use my gifts for the greater glory of God.
I always begin the day with prayer and I try to pray for at least a half hour. Jesus is my best friend, so I always make time for Him first thing in the morning. I always pray my breviary, not just because I have vowed to do that for myself and the entire Church, but because it is my daily spiritual “gas station.” Personal prayer also helps me to stay focused on my mission and ministry.
As I get older, I have less mental and physical energy, so I have learned to take better care of myself. No one is going to do that for me; it is up to me. I exercise and eat a healthy diet. I have discovered that food is an occupational hazard for a priest, so I try to eat less and enjoy it more. Boundaries and balance are essential ingredients to this vocation.
I enjoy spending time with people, but I also need time alone to relax and recharge. When I start feeling the urge to push people away, I know it is time for me to get away. Taking a day off is not negotiable. Jesus needed time alone during His ministry. Just one day alone at my house in McDowell County makes all the difference.
I try to treat everyone with respect and dignity. I believe it is appropriate to expect the same in return.
I have discovered the value of spiritual renewal by embarking on pilgrimages to holy places: the Holy Land, Lourdes, Fatima, Santiago de Compostella, Assisi, Orvieto, Siena, Florence and Rome. I have a pilgrimage planned to Poland.
There never seems to be enough time to accomplish all the duties as the pastor of a rather large parish, but I always make time for the most essential aspect of ministry: leading souls to heaven. The primary mission of the Catholic Church is the salvation of souls, so I try to make that the focus of my ministry.
I love to preach at Mass, but I know that I have to practice what I preach in order to be a witness to our faith. Our Lord never promised that serving Him would be easy. However, He showed us that it is worth every ounce of effort because the benefits are out of this world!
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
5 YEARS
Father Jason Barone
Father Matthew Codd
Father Peter Shaw
10 YEARS
Father Patrick Cahill
Father Richard DeClue
Father Patrick Hoare
Father Fred Werth
Father Ambrose Akinwande
Father Felix F. Nkafu
15 YEARS
Father Larry LoMonacoFather Larry LoMonaco
Father Peter K. Nouck
20 YEARS
Father W. Ray Williams
Father Alvaro Riquelme, CSsR
25 YEARS
Father George David Byers
Father Herbert Burke
Father Stephen Hoyt
Father Andrew Latsko
Father Gi Tae Lee
Father John Putnam
30 YEARS
Father Oscar Paniagua, CSsR
35 YEARS
Father John Carney, CM
40 YEARS
Father Roger K. ArnspargerFather Roger K. Arnsparger
Father Philip Scarcella
Father Carl Zdancewicz, OFM Conv.
45 YEARS
Father Charlie Donovan, CSsR
50 YEARS
Father Dominic Totaro, SJ
55 YEARS
Abbot Oscar Burnett, OSB
60 YEARS
Bishop Emeritus William G. CurlinBishop Emeritus William G. Curlin
65 YEARS
Father Joseph Elzi, CM
Deacons
5 YEARS
Deacon Jose Vargas
10 YEARS
Deacon John Barone
Deacon John Riehl
15 YEARS
Deacon Scott McNabb
Deacon Roland Geoffroy
20 YEARS
Deacon James Gorman
Deacon Matthew Reilly
30 YEARS
Deacon J. Patrick Crosby
Deacon James Johnson
35 YEARS
Deacon Anthony Marini
Deacon George Szalony
Deacon John Zimmerle
40 YEARS
Deacon Sidney Huff
Deacon Ronald Sherwood
45 YEARS
Deacon Ralph Eckoff
Women religious
25 YEARS
Missionaries of Charity Sister M. Martinella
Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Sister Pushpa Jose
Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Sister Christie
Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Sister Agnes Maria
50 YEARS
Mercy Sister Carolyn Coll
Mercy Sister Jane Davis
Mercy Sister Rose Marie Tresp
Mercy Sister Donna Marie Vaillancourt
St. Joseph Sister Geri Rogers
55 YEARS
St. Joseph Sister John Christopher
60 YEARS
Mercy Sister Therese Galligan
70 YEARS
Mercy Sister Alma Pangelinan
BOONE — Five years ago this June, Father Matthew Codd was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Peter Jugis at St. Mark Church in Huntersville. Now pastor of St. Elizabeth Church in Boone, the Asheville native Father Codd recently took time to share some insights about himself and his ministry with the Catholic News Herald:
CNH: When did you realize you had a call to the priesthood?
Father Codd: I received my call during my junior year in college, while at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. I had never really considered priesthood before then.
CNH: Where did you attend seminary?
Father Codd: I attended Mount Saint Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md., for all six years.
CNH: What assignments have you had over the past five years?
Father Codd: I was parochial vicar of St. Mark Church in Huntersville for two years; parochial vicar of St. Aloysius Church in Hickory for one year; and pastor of St. Elizabeth Church in Boone for two years now.
CNH: What do you enjoy most about your priestly ministry?
Father Codd: I enjoy living for God and not for myself, through sacrificing myself for God and the souls He has entrusted to me. Whether that is through preaching, the sacraments, catechesis, or anything else, I simply enjoy living for God as a priest and having that one singular and beautiful purpose.
CNH: What are some of the biggest lessons you have learned over the past five years, especially as a pastor?
Father Codd: There has been an ever-deepening awareness of the depth of both the cross and of the joy of priesthood. So the biggest lesson would probably be how to rely as completely as possible on the wisdom and grace of God.
CNH: What advice would you give to a man discerning a vocation to the priesthood?
Father Codd: I would remind him of the beauty of priesthood and all of its blessings and joys, and that God is so intimately close to those who serve Him in this vocation.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — The end to war and conflict in this world can come only from following God's ways, Bishop Peter Jugis preached during a Mass offered on Memorial Day.
The May 29 Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral was offered for families and friends of those serving in the military, veterans, and especially for service men and women who have died serving the United States.
"The mission of these men and women," Bishop Jugis said, "has always been to protect freedom. Their mission has always been to safeguard human dignity and to establish peace."
In his homily, Bishop Jugis reflected on the fourth chapter of the Letter of James, which poses the eternal question: "Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?"
That question "is just as relevant today as when he first wrote it so many centuries ago," Bishop Jugis said.
James' answer is that "wars and conflict among people ultimately come from the wars and the conflicts that are within the human heart," he said.
"It comes from the fact that people do not know God. They may know about God, they may know there is a God, but how many people have converted their hearts to follow God's ways?"
In his letter, James decries some of the sinful behaviors that cause conflict: envy, jealousy, pride and selfishness. He entreats Christians to practice the contrasting virtuous traits of humility, purity of heart, and submission to God's will:
"So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. … Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you." (James 4:7-8, 10)
"The remedy for all this war and conflict is God," Bishop Jugis emphasized. Peace and justice can come from God alone, he said.
Because "so many people in the world have not yet come to know God and follow His commandments and converted their hearts to Him," he said, "the Church never ceases to proclaim God's Gospel in every country, in every community of the world – calling people to conversion to Jesus, to forsake the ways of envy, jealousy, pride and selfishness, and everything that is separating us from God."
Christians must spread the Gospel just as Jesus taught in the Beatitudes: to be peacemakers, to be merciful, to be pure of heart, to be meek.
"Jesus is the Prince of Peace. His message is the path to harmony, concord, understanding, reconciliation, and peace and justice among all nations," Bishop Jugis said.
"During this year of the Immaculate Heart, as we honor the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima 100 years ago, we even hear her echo Jesus' message, pleading for peace," he said. "If we pray for peace, nations will be converted. They will embrace the Gospel message that God has delivered through His Son Jesus."
"Let us pray that God continue to convert our own hearts to His Son's Gospel, and that the grace of Christ will lead us into the way of peace," he prayed.
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor